Private Dancer

Private Dancer is one of the best selling albums of the 80'th with no less than seven single releases. After the success with Let's Stay Together in 1983, Tina’s new record company Capitol wanted a complete album, which was recorded in only two weeks in London. Al Greens Let’s Stay Together (from the 1983 B.E.F. session) and The Beatles Help, the first two singles, were produced and released before the recording of the album. What’s Love Got To Do With It was the first single to promote the album and topped the American charts while Tina was on tour with Lionel Richie. I Might Have Been Queen and Show Some Respect are very autobiographical and especially written for Tina. Better Be Good To Me (Spider), I Can’t Stand The Rain (Ann Peeples), Steel Claw (Paul Brady) and 1984 (David Bowie) are cover songs. Private Dancer was an unreleased Dire Straits song, because Mark Knopfler thought it's a song for a woman. The European single Help was not included in the original American release and the Australian edition contains the extra track „Rock'n Roll Widow“. For promotion, Capitol Records released a 4-track Sampler for radio stations.

Photographer: Peter Ashworth, Brian Aris
Design: John O’Brien for Shot That Tiger!
Release: May 29, 1984
Label: Capitol / EMI
Format: Vinyl (Colored, Picture) / CD / Cassette / Digital
Charts: UK: #2 / Germany: #2 / Europe: #1 / USA: #3 (Pop), #1 (R&B) / Australia #7
Certifications: UK: 3x Platinum / Germany: 5x Gold, 2x Platinum / USA: 5x Platinum
Grammy: Album of the Year (Nomination) / Record of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocals for „What’s Love Got To Do With It“ / Best Female Rock Vocals for „Better Be Good To Me“ (1985)

Tracks

Singles

The first two singles were released before the recording of the album. Let’s Stay Together, a soul song from Al Green was produced by Martyn Ware and Greg Walsh, the same team behind the previously released single Ball Of Confusion. The Beatles cover Help was an European single only to promote Tina’s ongoing tour in England. What’s Love Got To Do With It is a pop song and Tina’s first number one hit in America. It was released as the first single to promote the album, while she was on tour with Lionel Richie. Better Be Good To Me is a rock cover song from the US band Spider. The title track Private Dancer, a wonderful pop ballad, remained unreleased from a Dire Straits recording session, because Mark Knopfler thought it’s a song for a woman. I Can’t Stand The Rain was originally written and a hit single from Ann Peebles in 1973 and was the last single in Europe, instead of Show Some Respect in the rest of the world, while Tina was on tour.

Let’s Stay Together: November 1983 (Europe) / January 1984 (USA) / UK: #6 / Germany: #18 / USA: #26 (Pop), #1 (Club Play) / Australia: #19
Help: February 1984 / UK: #40 / Europe: #30
What’s Love Got To Do With It:May '84 (USA) / June '84 (UK) / Juli '84 (Germany) / USA: #1 / Australia: #1 / Canada: #1 / UK: #3 / Germany: #7 / Europe: #9
Better Be Good To Me: August ’84 (USA) / September '84 (UK) / January '85 (Germany) / USA: #5 / UK: #45 / Germany: #52 / Australia: #28
Private Dancer: October '84 (Germany) / November '84 (USA) / January '85 (UK) / USA: #7 / Europe: #12 / Germany: #20 / UK: #26 / Australia: #21
I Can’t Stand The Rain: February 1985 (UK) / March 1985 (Germany) / Germany: #9 / UK: #57
Show Some Respect: March 1985 / USA: #37 / Canada #42 / New Zealand #41

Tour

Because of the massive success of the album and it’s singles, Tina went on the road again in 1985 with her Private Dancer Tour. After playing at small venues in 1984, booked before her big comeback, this tour continues in large, sold-out arenas all over the world. The setlist was different in Europe and the rest of the world, because in the meantime the soundtrack for the movie Mad Max was released and Tina added both new songs to the setlist.

The concert at the NEC in Birmingham, England on March 23 was released on home video, featuring special appearances by Bryan Adams and David Bowie. Bryan was also the opening act in Europe and performed at most of the concerts It’s Only Love together with Tina.

Opening Night: February 19, 1985 / Helsinki (Finland)
Closing Night: December 28, 1985 / Tokyo (Japan)
Regions: Europe, North America, Japan, Australia
Concerts: 180+
Visitors: 2.5 Mio.
The Band: Jack Bruno: Drums / James Ralston: Guitar & Vocals / Kenny Moore: Piano & Vocals / Phil Palmer: Guitar (Europe) / Bob Feit: Bass Guitar & Vocals / Timmy Cappello: Saxophone & Keyboards / Jimmy Lyon: Guitar (USA) / Jamie West-Oram: Guest Guitarist

Reissue

The album has been reissued several times: In 1985 as a vinyl Picture Disc, while Tina was on tour in Europe; in 1997 as an EMI Centenary Edition; in 2008 from The Mail on Sunday in England as part of the promotion for Tina’s 50th Anniversary Tour and once again in 2015 as a 30th Anniversary Edition.

Private Dance Mixes

Private Dance Mixes is a compilation album, released only in Australia, New Zealand and Japan. It includes all extended mixes from the Private Dancer singles plus the live version of It's Only Love, recorded in Birmingham. The songs are divided into 'Dance Mixes' on the a-side and 'Rock Mixes' on the b-side. It was released to promote the Private Dancer Tour, because in this countries Tina was on tour in December 1985, which was eighteen months after the release of the Private Dancer album.

Release: November 1985
Label: Interfusion, Festival (Australia) / Capitol, Toshiba (Japan)
Format: Vinyl / CD / Cassette
Charts: Australia: #64

Video

The Video EP from 1984 features four of the concept music videos from the single releases, only the video for Help is missing, which was not released outside of Europe.

The Private Dancer Tour video from 1985 features selected tracks from a concert at the NEC in Birmingham, England on March 23, 1985, including special appearances by David Bowie and Bryan Adams. It was also broadcasted from the Westwood One Radio Network and from HBO in America. In Europe it was reissued together with a compact disc on the Tina Live - CD & Video Double Pack. Although most of the songs were already released on the album Live In Europe, some the tracks are exclusively available on this album.

CashBox

June 09, 1984

Tina Turner makes a spectacular return to vinyl with this outstanding new LP for Capitol Records. This is an album listeners will absorb tune to tune, each cut embued with an identity unique to the „Queen of Rock 'N’ Roll“ herself. With flaring vocals and gut-level intensity, Turner covers such diverse classics as Bowie’s „1984“ and Al Green’s „Let’s Stay Together“. With the phenomenal chart action of „Let’s Stay Together“ and the single „What's Love Got to Do With It,“ „Private Dancer“ should prove to be Turner’s strongest LP ever.

Billboard

July 28, 1984

SHE'S HOT! The L.A. Times says she "melts vinyl." People magazine calls her a "peerless live performer." US says she's the "grittiest rock and roll singer in the world." And Rolling Stone gave her new album four stars.